Better Schools for Brighter Futures
Volunteers Association for Bangladesh (VAB) improves the lives of children in rural Bangladesh through education. VAB awards scholarships, provides tutoring, equips classrooms, and trains teachers. Programs begin in preschool and continue through college. These programs lead to improved test scores, lower dropout rates, and ultimately a better standard of living for the students. Founded in 1998, VAB’s first scholarship recipients are now in universities, professional colleges or starting their careers. VAB supports a secular education. Click here to see all of VAB’s programs.
Extraordinary Performances by VAB Schools in 2012 SSC Exam
VAB-assisted 33 rural high schools this year have scored 3 percentage points higher than the national average in the SSC Examination – 89% as compared to 86%. Moreover, four of the schools had a 100% pass rate – twice the number of last year! These are indeed remarkable accomplishments considering that the national average is dominated by better-equipped urban schools, with better trained teachers, and more affluent students.
- 98% of VAB scholarship recipients passed the exam, and
- 91% passed with an “A-” grade or higher
VAB scholarship recipients and its sponsored schools have been increasingly performing better than the national average for the past few years, especially after the full range of VAB programs came into effect. Not only that the scholarship recipients have been succeeding in the 92-98 percent range, their performance level has also increased with more students getting a grade of “A-” or higher. Congratulations to VAB’s students for their hard work and success. See previous years here.
Most VAB staff are volunteers. Fund raising costs are kept low through mailed in and online donations. Please consider making a donation today.
VAB’s Skill Training Program
Besides focusing on general education, VAB also pursues skill training in computer and information technology. This training is managed by VAB-NJ. Through its Computer Literacy Program (CLP), it has established 216 centers and trained 40,000 underprivileged students (49% female) in mostly rural areas of 52 districts of Bangladesh. Recently, under a Private-Public Partnership Initiative of the Government of Bangladesh, it has launched a program to establish 100 new Computer Centers and Smart Class Rooms in secondary schools (computer aided education). VAB-NJ provides an opportunity to introduce its program in a high school of one’s choice. For further details, please visit: http://www.vabonline.org/vabnj